First period summary: Bruins vs. Captials

Considering the Bruins are facing the top-scoring team in the NHL on their home ice and without a top-four defenseman, being tied, 1-1, with Washington is not all bad. As a matter of fact, it’s downright remarkable.

And they were just mere millimeters away from a one-goal lead after a 20 minutes.

Niklas Backstrom’s shot trickled by Tuukka Rask at 7:36 of the first period. Dennis Wideman came to the rescue but just a half-second late as the puck was ruled to have cleared the goal line for a 1-0 Capitals lead. Alex Ovechkin fed Backstrom across the slot to set up the score.

Before that, the Bruins had managed to contain the high-powered Caps without defenseman Dennis Seidenberg, who skated before the game but could not play after suffering a gash in his left wrist that required 15 stitches.

The scoring chances were again plentiful for the Bruins and it seemed for the first 19 minutes, 58.4 seconds of the opening period, they would be frustrated again.

But with 1.6 seconds left, it was Wideman of all people, who blasted a slap shot past Jose Theodore to tie the game.

Prior to that goal, the Bruins spent the final 60 seconds of the first period in the Washington zone, peppering Theodore.

And just after Backstrom’s goal, Michael Ryder had three great chances from close in but couldn’t finish.